Damper-controller



:(No Model.)

J. V. STOUT.

DAMPER. CONTROLLER.

No. 466,450. Patented Jan.-5, 1892..

ful Improvement in Means for UNIT D STATES j PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN V. STOUT, OF EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

DAMPER-CONTROLLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0; 466,450, dated January5, 1892.

Application filed March 23,1891. Serial No. 386.033. .(No modeh) To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J oHNV. STOUT, a of the United States, residing atEaston, county of Northampton, and State of Pennsylvania, have inventeda certain new and use- Controlling Dampers, of which the following is aspecification.

The present invention relates to improved means for automaticallycontrolling the heating apparatus or heating-pipes of buildings; and myobject is to provide a simple and practicable form of apparatus for saidpurpose; and the invention consists in the devices and combinationshereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of a check-damperwith means for operating the same. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the samewith a diagram of the circuits, and Fig. 3 is a detail view showing theconnection between the damper-rod and armatu re-lever.' a

1 is the valve or damper, mounted in a ring 2, which is connected to abase 2, which is adapted to be mounted on'a suitable pipe controllingadmission of air to or above the fire in any ordinary manner to regulatethe draft, and consequently the heat produced by the fire. Q

In practice the base 2' is put in place, and then the ring 2, withsupported parts, is

. placed as shown, and held in place by screws 2". 3 is the damper-rod,extending above the ring2 and pivoted at 4 5. Said rod carries a fixedcollar 6,'to which is secured an arm 7.

- To the upper end of this arm is connected a coiled spring 8, leadingto a post 9 at the rear of the magnets 11. It will be seen that the arm7 is at one side of a line passing through the post 9 and thedamper-rod. The spring therefore holds the valve either open or closed,and when the valve is being moved from one position to the other saidspring will tend to complete the movement as soon as the valve or thearm 7 passes by the deadpointthat is, the point at which arm 7 is inline with 3 and 9.

Between the magnets 10 11 and pivoted at 12 is an armature-leverl3,havinga mechanical connection or coupling with the valverod, comprisingtwo projecting pins 1& 15, adapted to strike against the pins 16 17,carcitizen gagement with the co-operating pin to move the valve a shortdistance; but when the arm 7 passes the dead-point the positiveengagement is broken and the spring 8 can move the valve independentlyof the armature during the time the valve is moving forward, bringingthe second pair of pins into engagement. I mature which stands close tothe magnet-poles and has a short stroke, thereby largely reducing thestrength of the battery required. The collar 6 also is provided with anelbowpiece having two arms 18 19, arranged at right angles to eachother. On each side of the valve-rod, on a base-plate 20, is acircuit-controller consisting of a post 21, insulated from said plate,having a contact 22, and a lever 23, hinged at 24 and in electricalcontact with plate and tending to move against the contact 22, beingthrown forward either by gravity or by a spring. 25 is a binding-postalso in electrical contact with plate 20, and 26 27 are binding-postsinsulated from'saidplate.

At the place where the temperatur'e'is to be regulated is :placed athermostatic' circuitcontroller 28 of any well-known or suit-ableconstruction. One member of the thermostat is connected through battery29 to bindingpost 25, another member 30 is connected tobinding-post=26,'and ath'ird m ember 31 is connected to binding-post 27,and thence by wire 32, through magnet 10, to post 21. The post 26 isconnected by wire 33, through magnet 11, to the other post 21.

The operation of the system and apparatus thus described is as follows:'When the temperatureat the thermostat is at the proper point, thespring 28 occupies the central position shown in the drawings and thevalve or damper will be held either openor closed,

Thismakes it possible to use an araccording to the position to which itwas last IOC 26, wire 33, magnet 11 to post 21, lever 23,

base-plate 20, post 25 back to the opposite pole of the battery. Thisenergizes magnet 1l,at tracting the armature, and,through lever 13, 5pins 14c and 16 turn the damper-rod and valve, carrying the arm 7 towardthe left and arms 18 19 toward the right. As arm 18inoves it allows thelever 23 to approach the contact 22 and finally to make contacttherewith, and this contact is made before the arm 7 has reached thedead-point. As the arm moves around it strikes the lever 23 and moves itaway from contact 22 on the otherside,thereby opening the circuit of themagnet, which was energized to give the initial movement to the valve;but this circuit is not broken until after the arm 7 passes thedead-point, so that it is in position to be moved forward by the spring.\Vith this arrangement of circuits and circuit-controllers the damperisalways under the control of the magnets. If the damper should come torest at the deadpoint, it will be seen that the circuit'controllers onboth sides of the valve-rod will be closed, and when the thermostaticcircuitcontroller is operated in either direction by changes intemperature the damper will be immediately moved in a correspondingdirection. It is impossible to leave the battery on short circuit,thereby wasting its power, and a comparatively weak battery can be used,since the greater part of the work of moving the valve is done by thespring. When the armature is first attracted to move the valve, saidspring is under theleast tension, and said tension is increased only asthe armature comes nearer to the magnet.

It will be clear that the particular form of the circuit-breakersoperated by movement of the valve is not essential, it only beingnecessary that they should be of such charac ter as to make and breakthe circuits at the proper time, as already described. So, also, thearrangement of pins for connecting the armature-lever and the valve-rodis not essential. Any suitable connection maybe employed which allows asmall amount of lost or independent motion between said parts.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is-- kll 1. Thecombination of a valve or damper,"

trolled by a thermostatic circuit-controller, a circuit maker andbreaker in the circuit of each magnet in addition to the thermostaticcircuit-controller, and means moving with the valve to open the circuitthrough the magnet last energized and to close the circuit at thecircuit maker and breaker in the circuit of the other magnet,substantially as described.

2. The combination of a valve or damper, means tending to hold the valvein its closed or in its open position and operating to throw the valvewhen it has been partially moved from one position to the other, magnetsand armatures for giving such initial movement to the valve, a couplingbetween the valve or damper and the armatures, said coupling being inpositive engagement during the first part of a movement of the valve,but said positive engagement being broken during the following movementof the valve, and a circuit-breaker operated to open the circuit afterthe valve has been moved by the deadpoint, substantially as described. 1l

3. The combination of a valve and valverod, a magnet and armature formoving said valve and rod, and a coupling between the valve-rod andarmature, said coupling being in positive engagement during the firstpart of a movement of the valve,but said positive engagement beingbroken during the following movement of the valve, substantially asdescribed.

4. The combination of a valve and valverod, an armature for moving saidrod, coupling allowing lost or independent motion between the armatureand rod, magnets for attracting said armature, said coupling being inpositive engagement during the first part of a movement of the valve,but said positive engagement being broken during the following movementof the valve, and a spring connected to the valve-rod and to a suitablesupport, said spring being out of line with the post and rod, whereby ittends to hold the valve open or closed, substantially as de scribed.

5. The combination of a valve and valverod, an elbow or angle-levercarried by said rod, and a circuit maker and breaker on each side of therod, one circuit maker and breaker being controlled by one arm and theother by the other arm of said angle-lever as the valve is moved,substantially as described.

This specification signed and witnessed this 3d day of March, 1891.

JOHN V. STOUT.

\Vitnesses:

CHARLES M. CATLIN, Geo. W. BARNETT.

